The Association
for Union Democracy's Education Project helps union
members become better activists and organizers by providing education
in legal rights and organizing methods and techniques -- all with a focus
on building democracy and power, on the job and in the union. AUD
offers workshops, conferences, classes, and educational materials for
rank-and-file union members, representatives, and officers who want to
practice strong and democratic unionism. We are also available to speak
or give workshops at union meetings, conferences, and events. We can provide
education in English, Spanish and French, and we can travel to your area.
Contact Matt Noyes at AUD for information, 718-564-1114 ;
info@uniondemocracy.org. Click here to print out
the information on this page.

If you are a
unionist looking to learn about her rights, a small group of troublemakers
looking for practical training and advice, or union officers wanting to
do things differently, AUD provides workshops that will help you
and your coworkers learn the skills and strategies required for democratic
reform. We provide education for activists at all levels, and will tailor
the education to fit your needs. Because we are an independent organization,
we provide a space for free, democratic discussion.
AUD provides workshops on topics of interest
to: rank-and-file workers, reform groups, union officers. The following
is a sample of topics we have covered:

ConferencesAUD works with rank-and-file groups, specific
unions, and cross-union groups (for example construction workers) to organize
special conferences, at a local, regional, or national level. We design
and facilitate the conferences in collaboration with the participants,
bringing in expert activists and educators, and you bring together the
activists and members. These events combine education and organizing to
help you take your work to the next level.

Recent AUD-sponsored
conferences include:

A national rank
and file carpenters conference, (resulting in the formation of a national
reform organization and a successful campaign to oust the EST of the
New England Council,

A Seattle-area
conference for ironworkers, (who went on to take control of their local),

Two conferences
for AFSCME members in New York City, (resulting in the formation of
a reform group that ousted the corrupt leadership of District Council
37).

AUD
has provided workshops and educational consultation for these and other
unions and organizations:

Teamsters for
a Democratic Union: workshops on building workplace power, bylaws changes,
and legal rights and organizing, at the TDU annual conventions.

Help AUD spread the word
and build the movement! We are looking for union members to help us organize
workshops or conferences in cities across the country.

Our goals are to promote
awareness of AUD and its mission, to help activists network with other
union democracy supporters in their area, to support and strengthen local
and national union democracy efforts, and to provide an event that union
caucuses and committees can use to build participation and educate activists.
Cities recently visited: Denver CO; Los Angeles, CA; Madison, WI.

If you are a union member
and want to help organize an event in your city or town, contact Matt
Noyes at AUD, info@uniondemocracy.org, 718-564-1114 .

Our education project
travels. Since 1998, we have organized conferences and workshops for workers
in New York, Boston, Seattle, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Detroit, and other
cities and towns. We have met some great people along the way, including
Paul McCafferty, a Boston-area union activist. Paul wrote up the following
piece on how to bring AUD to your town for an educational event.

They Aint
Gunslingers and This Aint Dodge:
How to Bring AUD to a Town Near You.

By Paul McCafferty, Put
Workers First/Trabajadores Unidos, SEIU 254

A lot of us trying to reform
our unions need to know more -- about our rights, about strategies and
techniques that work, about other peoples experiences -- and would
love to have an AUD workshop occur in our area. It would be tailored to
our particular needs, organized around our schedules, and would be held
at a location accessible to our members.

Its natural to call
up AUD and put in such a request. Its also natural to hope that,
somehow, AUD will ride into town, organize all the details of the workshop
and leave us with a wealth of legal information and organizational insight
as they ride off into the sunset.

Unfortunately, it doesnt
work that way. Besides the fact that AUD operates with a chronic shortage
of money, theres no way AUD staff can know our specific problems
or how to get our members to a meeting. It can be daunting to realize
that if we want an AUD workshop we have to organize it ourselves. The
good news is its not only doable but can be fun. The trick is to
break it down into easy to handle parts and spread the work out among
a small group of workers. In our case, the important parts were:

1. Who and What. Define
what we want to learn and who we want to have attend. For us the who was
a core group of Local 254 members but we also sent leaflets to interested
local workers on the AUD mailing list. Many of these were wonderful people
we never would have met otherwise.

To attract 254 rank and
filers we designed the workshop for a Saturday morning and set a core
four -hour program. There was also an afternoon session for those who
didnt have to take off for kids, yard work, and groceries. Through
discussions among those of us who were organizing the event, and conversations
with AUD staff, we figured out what the workshop should be about and what
would work best for this group.

2. Where to do it. We asked
around and found that churches and community centers offer safe, accessible,
inexpensive meeting space. Schools are another possibility. We reviewed
several options before choosing a Baptists church near public transportation.
(Note: union halls are often a risky choice. Experience has shown that
unless they are really firm supporters of union democracy, with a proven
track record, there is a strong chance that they will back out at the
last minute, leaving you high and dry.)

3. Paying for it. In our
case the costs were: paying for AUD staff transportation, food, lodging
and material, and the church rental. AUD gave us a basic price to cover
their costs and we agreed that any extra money would be a donation to
AUD. We covered the expenses by charging $15 a person for the workshop
and having the AUD staff stay in our homes and eat with us. This was also
a great way to get to know the AUD staff personally. As with the other
workers who we met through the event, theyre great folks.

4. Party! Besides
the formal workshop, we had a party at a members house on Saturday
night. We invited everyone who attended the workshop and other AUD supporters
in the area and raised a little more money for AUD. The costs -- a cold
cut platter, beer, etc. -- were also covered by what we took in at the
workshop.

As it turned out, the workshop
was not only doable but it also helped our organizing by getting workers
to take charge of different tasks. Rather than a hassle, it was educational
and a hell of a lot of fun. The connections we made, as organizers and
as people, have continued since the workshop.

Resources
AUD provides educational resources for union
members, activists, and educators. We sell books and pamphlets on Legal
Rights and Organizing (click
here to see the list), publish a bi-monthly newsletterUnion
Democracy Review (click here
to find out more) and this website. Course materials and lesson plans
are available for a small fee. Please contact us for more information.

AUD
education gets results:
Some of the feedback we have received from our work.

"We were very
impressed; the workshops added a new dimension to our meetings making
us better equipped to do the work of reforming this union." -- Leonard
Riley, Longshore Workers Coalition, ILA 1422

" [the
AUD workshop] was excellent and the scenarios thought-provoking. Many
of the Board members complained that they had too little time with you
and recommended that we bring you in for a much longer session next time
thanks again, not only for your time and energy putting together this
program but for advancing Union Democracy for all members in all unions."
-- Joan Bruce, President PSSU Local 668 SEIU

"I vividly remember
the session organized at this past spring's conference by the AUD women's
project, of women working in the non-traditional trades, and nothing,
absolutely nothing I have seen or heard since has moved me so much .
[It was] a real educational opportunity. ...These savvy and outspoken
women are what education for democracy is about ." -- Flavia
Alaya, AFT

"AUD has been
an indispensable resource to the New Directions caucus in TWU and a tireless
champion of our efforts to make the TWU more democratic and more effective
for our members. AUD has provided teachers and literature for our stewards'
classes, advice for our activists, and moral support at every turn."
-- Naomi Allen, Executive Board Member, TWU Local 100

"The staff at
AUD was instrumental in helping us achieve the success we've had. Your
support, help and encouragement kept us going when we felt overwhelmed.
We were able to build a network of reformers, and learned how to play
the game. AUD was always available, an open forum for ideas, and a wellspring
of technical assistance." -- Linda Cannon, Laborers Local
#294

Use
the following credit line on the materials you use: "From the
website of the Association for Union Democracy. www.uniondemocracy.org. Email:
info@uniondemocracy.org. 104 Montgomery Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11225; USA;
718-564-1114"